1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a refrigerator having a rotating bar configured to seal a gap formed between a pair of doors thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a refrigerator is a household appliance having a storage compartment to store food, and a cool air supplying apparatus to supply cool air to the storage compartment to store the food in a fresh manner. The refrigerator, according to the type of the storage compartment and a door thereof, may be provided with the type thereof classified.
A TMF (Top Mounted Freezer)-type refrigerator is provided therein with a storage compartment that is divided into an upper side and a lower side by a horizontal partition while a freezing compartment is formed at the upper side and a refrigerating compartment is formed at the lower side, and a BMF (Bottom Mounted Freezer)-type refrigerator is provided with a refrigerating compartment formed at the upper side while a freezing compartment is formed at the lower side.
In addition, a SBS (Side By Side)-type refrigerator is provided therein with a storage compartment that is divided into an left side and a right side by a vertical partition while a freezing compartment is formed at one side and a refrigerating compartment is formed at the other side, and a FDR (French Door Refrigerator)-type refrigerator is provided therein with a storage compartment that is divided into an upper side and a lower side by a horizontal partition while a refrigerating compartment is formed at the upper side and a freezing compartment is formed at the lower side, as the refrigerating compartment at the upper side is open/closed by a pair of doors.
Meanwhile, at a door of a refrigerator, a gasket is provided to seal a gap which is being spaced apart between the door and the body of the refrigerator when the door is closed. However, with respect to the FDR-type refrigerator, the refrigerating compartment at the upper side is open and closed by a pair of doors, but the refrigerating compartment is not provided therein with a vertical partition, and thus a gap formed between the pair of doors may not be sealed by the gasket. So, as to seal the gap which is being spaced apart between the pair of doors as such, a rotating bar rotatably installed at one of the pair of the doors is suggested.
The rotating bar as such, when the pair of doors is closed, is being rotated in a horizontal state with respect to the pair of doors to seal the gap in between the pair of doors, and when one door provided with the rotating bar installed thereto is open, the rotating bar is being rotated in a vertical state with respect to the other door, so that the rotating bar is not being interfered at the other door, which is not provided with the rotating bar installed thereto.
Meanwhile, at the rotating bar as such, a heat insulation member configured to block cool air from being discharged from a storage compartment, a plate formed with metallic material to come into close contact with the gasket installed at a rear surface of the door, and a heat generating member configured to radiate heat to prevent frost from forming at the metallic plate are included.
An example of the refrigerator as such has been suggested in the U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,032. However, in the refrigerator in accordance with the above publication, the heat of the heat generating member is heat-conducted through the plate to the both edges of the rotating bar, and finally, is penetrated to an inside the storage compartment, thereby lowering the thermal efficiency of the refrigerator.